Red Tulips
Lucien
Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei.
Notes: Please don't give bad reviews as I'm temporarily disabled with mumps and am being quarantined in a cramped room. :P
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A shaft of light illuminated the young boy's sleeping figure. He was tangled up in the bed sheets but was sleeping in relative serenity. This was one of those days wherein he didn't rouse from bad dreams… those days were getting less and less, his partner had noted.
But still, they existed. They were there.
The man frowned.
Thoughts were pouring forth the man's head. He thought of how much the boy meant to him and how much he was willing to give to make the boy's life – or rather, afterlife – better. Finding no good solution, he decided to make himself useful and cook breakfast.
After cooking pancakes dripping in sweet but sloppy syrup, the man was satisfied. He stirred some powdered juice, and together with the pancakes (who were now laid unto a nice china plate), he put it into a small tray for his beloved partner. Smiling to himself, he thought up of his partner's reaction when the boy wakes up.
A blush, perhaps? Or maybe even a – gasp – smile? A 'thank you'? Maybe… 'Idiot!'?
All possible reactions that the boy might give appealed to the older man. The man giggled to himself as he thought up of more ways to make his partner happier.
Just then, a thought struck him. Flowers! That would be nice. His partner would appreciate beauty perhaps as much as he does.
The man thought up of what kind of flower he should give to his partner. Getting one from his garden was out of the question. His garden had been quite untended for a while. Since he moved in with this boy, he wasn't able to visit his former lodging much. The thought of his garden being unkempt with weeds saddened him.
He snapped out of the near-trance he was apt to have gotten into and scribbled a note for his partner.
Gone out to buy… sweets, will be back soon, don't wait up for me. Breakfast is somewhere in the house. – Tsuzuki 3
Thinking that 'breakfast is somewhere in the house' was a bit… crude, he rewrote the note to 'breakfast is in the kitchen. Yummy pancakes and fruit juice for you'.
The man wanted to be back even before the boy woke up so as to present his surprise himself, but thinking that he might not be back before the boy wakes up, he just wrote the note and posted it on the bathroom door, knowing the boy's habit of washing his face after waking up.
~*~*~*~*~
The man hadn't expected it to be so hard to find a florist's shop open at an early hour. Every flower store he knew was still closed.
He chided himself for not knowing that it was Sunday before he had gotten himself on this madman's search. Finally finding one open – which was at the other end of town – he smiled a bit. His efforts weren't for nothing after all. Checking his watch (it was five thirty in the morning) he felt a bit of relief. The boy usually wakes up at six, and the day being Sunday, he might be up a little late.
Upon entering the shop, a girl docked in a pink apron embroidered with flowers over a white shirt and black denim pants greeted him.
"Good morning, sir," she smiled.
The man smiled back.
"Good morning."
The man eyed the different flower arrangements in the selection. There were different pots containing different flower arrangements. There was even the 'ikebana' arrangement that he was fond of. He glanced around the small store and found a rack containing bouquets of flowers.
Ah, that was what he wanted. He walked up to it and looked at the flowers. There were so many that he was quite confused on what he should pick.
"Ah, miss, could you help me pick some flowers?" He asked the girl who had greeted him earlier.
The young lady smiled, "Sure thing."
The man found his attention drifting elsewhere as the girl explained the different symbolizations of the flowers.
"A pink carnation – ah, this one – is a great flower to give for parting, it means 'I'll never forget you'. Now these freesias symbolize innocence. Some more flowers that symbolize 'innocence' are daisies and baby's breath. A stripped carnation, meanwhile, means 'Sorry, I can't be with you'. A red chrysanthemum means love, quite romantic, eh? Anyway, a rosebud is a sign of beauty and youth whilst a single red rose in full bloom means 'I love you'."
The man's attention floated unto the beautiful bouquet of red tulips on a corner full of dull colored flowers, making it stand out.
"Miss, what do those red tulips mean?"
The girl's smile widened.
"Red tulips represent declarations of love."
~*~*~*~*~
The man found himself a few minutes before six holding a ridiculously large bouquet of red tulips. Knowing that it would take ages to get to the other side of town where he and boy lived, he decided to get there the more convenient way.
He went into an abandoned alley and teleported himself to his home.
Not taking any chances, he gingerly tiptoed to their room and pressed an ear to the door. No talking. No television noise. No flipping of book pages. No dripping of water from a shower. No sound.
Smiling in contentment, the man went to the kitchen. He sat down and thought about his grand plan. The pancakes were still warm, to the man's delight, but the juice was, too. He got some ice cubes and put it in the drink. Now, his surprise was ready. He had the flowers and the meal all set up.
The man got his note and dumped it in the trash bin. Who needed notes when you can tell a person what you want to say personally now?
Giddy with excitement, the man got up from his reclined position in a very comfortable chair and entered the bedroom.
He was just in time, too.
The boy looked as if he were to wake up a second later. The boy's body moved slightly and his eyes slowly – ever so slowly – opened. Blinking for a few times, his glance met his partner's.
"Good morning, Hisoka," the older man beamed brightly.
"…Morning, Tsuzuki," the boy replied pleasantly, his eyes still trying to adjust to the light.
The older man let the boy rest for a quick moment before going on with his planned surprise.
"Ne, Hisoka, I've got a surprise for you."
The boy sighed and nodded.
The man led the youth to the kitchen, where a sight greeted him.
The boy stared in incredulity. The kitchen – for once – was neat and tidy. And… was there a meal waiting for him? Wait… is that… flowers!?
The man looked at the boy's dumbfounded stare and grinned as he took it for approval.
A while later, he got the boy to recover from the previous shock and 'sit and relax', then setting the tray laden with food before him, asked him to eat.
The boy looked doubtful for a while. He knew that the man wasn't exactly a gourmet chef, he was far from it. He knew that eating the older man's food would be like swallowing pesticide, and he wasn't stupid enough to do a thing like that. But upon seeing the man's eager face, he gulped the lump that had formed in his throat and took a forkful in.
Surprisingly, the pancakes didn't taste as bad as he thought it would be. It wasn't what he might call 'great', but it was satisfactory. He managed to finish the whole plate and drank the juice to get rid of the sugary aftertaste.
After mumbling a quick 'thanks, you shouldn't have…' the boy was presented with the red tulips.
The older man chuckled.
"It isn't much but… I want you to have this."
The boy's face reddened. He wasn't sure of how to accept the flowers. After having read quite a number of books, he knew what they represented, and the fact made him blush even more. He didn't know whether the man picked the flower perfectly aware of their meaning or whether it was just a coincidence.
"T-thank you, Tsuzuki…" The boy thanked the older man, taking the flowers delicately.
The flowers were beautiful. The red tulips were complemented by the green leaves… the shade of green not much different than the shade of those of the boy's eyes. The boy wanted to say so much more, but somehow… he couldn't.
The older man, meanwhile, rambled on.
"Hisoka, do you know what red tulips mean?"
The boy wanted very much to say 'yes, I do' but something in him held it in.
"No, Tsuzuki… I don't. Tell me," the boy answered.
The man stifled a giggle, "Well, I'm not quite sure, but the lady at the flower shop told me that red tulips are declarations of love. Isn't that funny, Hisoka?"
The boy only nodded in reply.
--Owari--
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*sighs* finally finished~! ^__^ Err… sorry if the characters are a bit OOC and I referred to Hisoka and Tsuzuki as the boy and the man throughout the fic, I just couldn't help it. XD And credit goes to Questor magazine for the flower meanings. All of the symbolization of the flowers came from their article on Lunlun the Flower Angel.
Anyway, please review! :P